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Office of Institutional Research
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Internal Survey Coordination

In addition to completion of national surveys, Institutional Research coordinates the distribution of Qualtrics surveys to the campus for both faculty research and institutional internal use.

Survey Research Recruitment

Institutional Research will only send out recruitment emails to 25% of the student population per survey per academic term to reduce survey fatigue. The student population for survey recruitment contains enrolled undergraduate and graduate students over the age 18 regardless of full-time/part-time enrollment status and degree-seeking status. Students who have opted to have a non-disclosure flag (confidentiality indicator) on their record are not excluded from survey recruitment. 

Institutional Research should be consulted prior to submitting a recruitment protocol for IRB or IRB exemption that involves IR dissemination of a survey to a targeted population outside of the standard 25% of the total student population. 

Faculty and Staff Survey Recruitment

Institutional Research will only send out recruitment emails to 33% of the full-time faculty and 33% of full-time staff per survey per academic term to reduce survey fatigue.

Institutional Research reserves the right to seek additional guidance from University General Counsel, the Office of Research & Sponsored Programs, Academic Affairs, and the Data Management Council on requests to distribute surveys to the university community.

*Please see below requirements for Institutional Research coordination of Qualtrics surveys:

IR Survey Recruitment Requirements for Faculty or Student Research:

  • A copy of the most recent IRB Approval, Declaration of Exemption, or Waiver of IRB Review for our records
  • A copy of the specific recruitment information that was approved by IRB
  • Verification of IRB approved recruitment process by Assistant Director for Research Integrity
  • A copy of the survey in Qualtrics shared with the IR Account: oir@unf.edu. Refer to the Qualtrics guide "Collaborating Inside Your Organization" for additional information.
  • Description of the target audience
  • 3 email contact dates (initial survey distribution and two reminders to complete)
  • Message to be emailed with survey
  • Survey close date

IR Survey Recruitment Requirements for Institutional Internal Use:

  • A copy of the survey in Qualtrics shared with the IR Account: oir@unf.edu. Refer to the Qualtrics guide "Collaborating Inside Your Organization" for additional information.
  • Description of the population to be surveyed
  • 3 email contact dates (initial survey distribution and two reminders to complete)
  • Message to be emailed with survey
  • Survey close date

Testing Requirements

After everything has been set up and the survey has been tested, please send oir@unf.edu a confirmation email of the survey testing procedures and the individuals involved in the testing process. Institutional Research does not test surveys, and the survey will not be distributed without this confirmation.

Timing

Please know we request a minimum of 7 business days from receiving all the above required items before the first survey contact date for the initial distribution. Surveys that are not tested will not be scheduled.

In selecting your survey dates, please consult the Academic Calendar for potential conflicts with holidays and major academic events such as mid-terms and finals, as there are often lower response rates during these times.

Institutional Research will typically not distribute surveys during the first two weeks of classes (drop/add and the week following) as enrollment is still fluctuating.

Standard Procedures for Qualtrics Surveys Coordinated by Institutional Research:

  • Surveys will be confidential, but the row level results shared after the survey closes will be anonymous and will contain no identifiers unless permitted by IRB.
  • Surveys will be set up so that they are only able to be completed once per individual.
  • Survey populations will only be contacted 3 times (initial survey distribution and two reminders to complete)
  • IR will not make changes to a survey once it has been deployed.
  • IR may request information from the survey administration including response rates, uses/reports, etc.

Alternative Survey Distribution Options

In cases where it is not appropriate for Institutional Research to distribute the survey, or where another method of data collection would seem to be more appropriate, below are a few no cost and low cost suggestions for alternative distribution methods:

No cost (except the researcher's time)
  • Departmental bulletin boards
  • Departmental email distribution lists (with appropriate approval)
  • Chalking
  • Social media (personal as well as departmental accounts)
  • Tabling
  • Digital signage
Low cost
  • Campus fliers, posters, or yard signs
  • Table tents
  • Targeted advertising

Non-Survey Research Recruitment

Institutional Research will subject Non-Survey Research Recruitment requests to the same guidelines as Survey Recruitment. Please see the recruitment requirements above if you have any questions.

Resources

Contact

Please contact Institutional Research at 904-620-2015 or oir@unf.edu if you have any questions about the process. Even if you are in early stages of the survey development, we would be happy to meet to answer any preliminary questions about the survey distribution.